To ask the Minister of Finance whether his Department has considered requiring all buildings over 11 metres in height to use non-combustible materials, as opposed to the current proposals of 18 metres.

My Department consulted on proposals to introduce an effective ban on the use of combustible materials forming the external walls on certain higher risk ‘relevant buildings’ with a storey over 18m in height, so that only non-combustible materials can be used. The consultation did ask consultees for views on the threshold height for the ban, including, specifically, at a height of 11m.

Officials in the Department’s Building Standards Branch have analysed the consultation responses and a summary of responses is available on the Department’s website.

Consultation indicated a mixed response on the height threshold for application of the ban. The Department acknowledges that height thresholds on this matter could be viewed as arbitrary in nature and the comments from some consultees suggested 11m as an upper threshold limit for effective external firefighting techniques. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has commissioned research on this issue and it has also been subject to consultation in the review of the ban in England in 2020.

The Department is currently consulting with the local Building Regulations Advisory Committee (NIBRAC) and its Technical-subcommittee for Part E ‘Fire safety’ of the Building Regulations and will bring forward final proposals, for my consideration, in the near future.